Choate's Air Conditioning Heating & Plumbing

All went well, and my three inspections have been completed perfectly. I love the fact that they have 24/7 service at no extra charge to me because of being a preferred customer through their contract with me. The monthly fee is very reasonable.

They come spring and fall to do something in the house. I was having some leaking and stuff. So, they helped me on that. I have some type of agreement with them. The pricing is excellent. The quality is excellent. Very responsive.

The Choates technicians were excellent. They covered the floors to prevent damage and dirt. They took the time to explain everything and cleaned up the attic when they were done. Choates us not the cheapest but their personnel are always knowledgeable and professional.

It was fine, good. The only thing we didn’t like was that they were pushing their service plan. We were put off by that. They seemed more interested in that then doing the service. We were having a bit of a temperature regulation problem and instead of focusing on that, he came out with all their service plans. The price was alright for what we had done. Professionalism was a B only because of the pushiness. I probably would not use them again.

Very impressed with this company. Techs (2 different ones) were courteous, efficient and informative.

They set up a schedule and came up and showed up when they said they were. When they didn't have any particular part that they needed they set up a time to come back out and were on time then too. Everything works.

They come out twice a year. Everything worked. Everything went very well. It is a very professional organization. There were different technicians for each visit. The heating guy gave me some good information on the filters I am using. They saved me money.

When Randall came a couple of days ago to go over the vent cleaning process with me I was impressed so I hired Coate’s straight away. Today I wasn’t too impressed with the work of Taylor and Daniel. Randall said they probably didn’t have to go into most vents and would clean the system from the attic for the most part. At least that’s what I understood. They removed all vents and vacuum cleaned from there. So far so good. I also asked to seal the system and do an anti microbial cleaning. They left smudges on the walls and didn’t clean up the floor. When I checked the work in the attic I found that almost nothing what Randall had promised was done. I far as I could see they only sealed on area on the air system but not the outlets where the ducts join the system. Randal said it would take 3-4 hours but it took them only 2.5 including a break. There seems quite a disconnect between the “Comfort Advisor” so the title on the business card and the people who are doing the actual work. Guess what, I wasn’t impressed at all.

I was initially overcharged for the hot water heater and had to have that price adjusted to the quoted price. It took longer than I expected (2 days as opposed to one day) and I was late for work. The faucet replacement did not go well because the plumber was not able to install the stopper.

They did a great job, from the first visit to give the estimate up through completion of the work. Very professional, explained everything thoroughly, installers completed job in one day. On time, answered all my questions, cleaned everything up before leaving. A+. Would definitely recommend and I would use again.

They have been out here probably three times in the year and a half since we bought this house for routine stuff and every time they come out and do something and within a day or two I have a problem I need to have them come back, so I don't know if they were breaking stuff in order to come back or fix it or what but just not understand. The technicians are too pushy. They try to sell you on upgraded services and equipment and stuff all the time. I would not use them again as I ended up calling somebody else, but I don't remember who it is.

We paid $70 a unit for the inspection and one pound of Freon each.

I definitely would not hire this company ever again. The only good thing is that he cleaned up after himself.

Our level of comfort immediately increased afterwards and the cost savings was actually substantial, which I didn't expect. Can't beat being more comfortable and paying lower utilities ($75 - $100) per month.

They installed a new system in our home and did an excellent job.

It went well. They arrived at 8:30 a.m. as scheduled and completed work at 8 p.m. They were very professional and cleaned the area before leaving.

We were charged a “flat rate” for a replacement evaporator coil after being told that it was not covered under warranty. When I asked Jeff, the Choate’s “price guy” in the office for clarification of the quote (in order to call Lennox to follow up on the warranty), I could tell something was not right. He could not really give me a price for the part (he mumbled something about $400, but I couldn’t follow) and told me that he had reduced the total price of the installation by $500 or so for the refrigerant that Choate’s had already pumped into the system a few days before, not realizing that there was a leak. Hmmm. Additionally, the Choate’s technician, who was quite helpful and honest, repeatedly said that he did not know anything about pricing (even when I did not ask). Hmmm #2. The bill from Choate’s was $2000 (discounted from somewhere north of $2400 for something or other), and the receipt was not itemized. Just a list of parts and services without corresponding prices and a total fee. Hmmm #3. 2 weeks after the service, Lennox emailed to tell us that the part was, in fact, under warranty. It is too much to ask, I suppose, for a licensed dealer like Choate’s to understand the warranties of the products they install and service. Hmmm #4. When I called Choate’s to find out how much we paid for the part SO THAT WE COULD BE REIMBURSED BY LENNOX (understanding that labor was not under warranty), “George” would only repeat that Choate’s charges a flat fee (on a mysterious sliding scale) and could not tell me the actual price of the part. He also asked me what I “wanted to get.” Did he assume they I, too, was some sort of shady character out for a freebie? I JUST WANTED TO KNOW HOW MUCH WE PAID FOR THE PART THAT WAS UNDER WARRANTY. Hmmm #5. So, I don’t know how much or if we will be reimbursed for the part for which we paid Choate’s but is actually covered by warranty. I realize that parts are often marked up in certain industries, but the degree of secrecy practiced by Choate’s is staggering. Plumbers, mechanics, carpenters, and other trades itemize their bills—Choate’s does not. I wonder why. We have a yearly service contract with them, which is supposed to save us a certain amount on services of this kind. Based upon this interaction, I really wonder if there really is a discount—since it is not itemized. Choate’s claims that they included the discount in the price, but one would never know. Hmmm #6. Even though we paid for a yearly service contract as a type of insurance, after this, I don’t trust Choate’s to perform the annual checks of the HVAC system. Who knows what they’ll “find” and how much it will cost. I guess when a website quotes a bit of the Bible and throws around a term like integrity, transparency isn’t necessary.

They were a little high at the time. They were very helpful. Some of the changes they were offering were a little elaborate. They offered a couple of different options, but there were a lot more changes than the configuration that we've got with the ducts and the return vents and it just boosted the price up. The guy I talked to had an engineering background. They were very nice. My interaction with them was fine. The guy was really knowledgeable. He spent time looking it over and gave me a couple of options, but the options were just a little bit more than we wanted to go with. The quote was fairly detailed. He was professional. He came out here when he said he would, to talk about it. They responded to setting up a fairly quick appointment.

I was a Choate’s customer for several years. They replaced my entire HVAC system in 2009, and I also maintained an HVAC maintenance contract with them for many years. As of June 14, 2016, I am no longer a Choate’s customer. After several summers of battling issues with our A/C that was installed in 2009 and being provided with different answers from each Choate’s technician who visited each summer as to what the issue was being caused by, we were finally informed in May 2016 that our unit contained a faulty part that the manufacturer was repairing under warranty. The first round of warranty work was performed May 2016. A few weeks later in June 2016, our unit was struggling again. Another technician was dispatched, and informed us the faulty part was still an issue and would need to be completely replaced. I was also informed that the fan motor would need to be replaced. All of this work was stated by the technician to be under warranty. I called in to schedule the appointment to have the repairs completed. The appointment was set. The day of the appointment, the technician called as he was heading to my house and informed me none of the repairs were under warranty. I was looking at approximately $1,000 in repair costs. After speaking with the technician, a supervisor, and the owner of the company (via the technician), the consensus was that if we wanted a fully functioning A/C unit that we’d be responsible for the repairs. I was also told that the technician who had performed the initial round of warranty work in May 2016 had incorrectly diagnosed the issue, and the initial round of warranty work should have never been performed. The technician arrived, and I verified with him that the nearly $1,000 cost would repair the faulty part as well as the fan motor issue. The technician informed me that he had forgotten about the needed fan motor repair, and that would be an additional cost on top of the approximately $1,000 initial quote. Needless to say, I’m frustrated at this point. Given that temps were predicted to climb into triple digits within the next day or two, I bit the bullet and paid to have the faulty part replaced which the technician stated was no longer functioning. I decided to not have the fan motor replaced at that time. That same evening, I contacted another HVAC company and scheduled them to come out and give me a second opinion on the fan motor. What an informative appointment that was! This technician informed me that my unit should have still been under warranty. I dug out my paperwork from the installation, however, no warranty information (5-year, 10-year, etc.) was written on my invoice by Choate’s in 2009. However, I remember being told at the time the new system was installed, that I had a 10-year warranty. The technician from the new HVAC company proceeded to explain that their practice is to register systems they install with the manufacturer in order to activate the 10-year parts warranty. If this is not done, the warranty defaults to 5 years. He said they do this for all of their customers in order to make sure their units are properly covered. My unit was never properly registered for the warranty. I still had all of the original paperwork from the installation (including owner’s manuals) but nothing related to the warranty. On June 16, 2016, Choate’s informed me that I only had a five-year warranty. The technician also explained to me that his inspection did not show that my fan motor needed to be replaced. He explained that he could tell it was worn, probably due to the stress my unit has been under for quite a while due to needed repairs not being correctly identified and performed, However, it wasn’t at a point that it needed to be replaced, He believed it still had life in it. He also identified a creased supply line running from my unit into my home that should have been addressed when my new unit was installed in 2009. This creased line has never allowed my new unit to function as efficiently as it should and eventually will shorten its life span. He also expressed concern related to the cleaning agent that was added to my system in May 2016 as part of the initial round of warranty work that Choate's later informed me should have never been performed. I no longer have faith in allowing Choate’s to maintain or make repairs to our HVAC system. I will be working with a new company in the future that I selected from Angie’s list. Sorry for the long, detailed story. However, if sharing my experience saves another customer from having to deal with a similar situation, it was worth taking the time to share.

This Service Call was in accordance with a purchased Maintenance Contract for heating/air conditioning and plumbing which affords winter and spring check-up sand provides discounts on any necessary parts in addition to other benefits. This company not only does a mailing reminder but follows up with a personal phone call to ensure the maintenance service calls get scheduled (wonderful for busy schedules and procrastinators). The office staff is friendly and efficient. Appointments are easily scheduled and technicians arrive timely within specified parameters. Prior to arrival they call and if there is any delay they notify promptly. The technicians for the most part strive not to disrupt the work area in the house although some are better than others. (they do put booties on their shoes, even though some forget to take them off if they go outside and then return) but overall they make an impressive effort. Work that will incur a cost is explained and at no time have I felt that actions were taken that could have been avoided. Actually, I have been advised on occasion not to do some work because of the age of a unit. It was more cost effective just wait until the unit was replaced. This is definitely contrary to advice received from other companies I have used in the past. On one occasion I did have a technician that definitely was not a happy camper that day and arrived with a real attitude. I called the office, explained my take on the situation, and asked for a replacement technician to be sent. Without hesitation the office complied with my request and the service was still done the same day. I have since had dealings with only professional and courteous individuals. This is a great company to do business with when in this day and age they seem hard to find.

Choate's folks were prompt, on-time, wore shoe coverings to keep my carpet clean, corrected by problem and cleaned everything up. Even went to each bathroom in my house to be sure that clearing the drains did not leave any dirt or residue in my sinks or tubs. Absolutely perfect job! But they have been taking care of all our HVAC needs for several years now; they always do excellent, dependable work!

On October 11, 2015, I needed to get a thermocouple replaced on my central heater. In the past, I have had this work done for less than $100. It?s a 15 minute job and requires a small piece of wire called a thermocouple. When the service guy told me the part was $240, I could hardly believe my ears. I looked up the exact same part on Amazon and found one for $8.00. That is a 3000% markup on the part. I ordered two from Amazon (White-Rogers H06E-30) and told the repair guy I could not pay such an outrageous price for a 15 minute installation of an 8 dollar part, especially when the service call would add $85 on top of that. I called Choates and they would not agree to put on the exact same part when I received it from Amazon without charging me another service call. In fact, they would not lower their price at all and told me the only way to get a lower price was to get a maintenance contract with them which was $185 a year. I do not call this good customer service. I just ordered the same service from Central HVAC for tomorrow. He agreed to come out and put on the thermocouple for a total price of $89, for both the part and labor. The price he charges for the part is $20. That should give you some indication of the difference in pricing we are talking about. I will never do business with Choates again.

It was awesome. They showed up on time, were highly communicative and performed the work exactly as they outlined. I couldn't be more happy with their service. I was told that they would use a scented antimicrobial but when I came home there was no scent. I called Eric the technician and he said that he was out of the scented and had used the unscented instead. Great! No problem. I was just curious to see if it was performed. Yes it was. He then offered to come back the very next day and fog with the scented antimicrobial if I'd like. Wow. Great customer service.

He checked it thoroughly and found no issues that needed attention. Everything was running in great order.

They were outstanding. They came early and they stayed much later than they were supposed to. They decided that something needed to be fixed that wasn't part of the original deal and they did it for free.